Switzerland likely to approve prescription heroin

Saturday 29th November, 05:35 AM JST

GENEVA —

Dr Daniele Zullino keeps glass bottles full of white powder in a safe in a locked room of his office.

Patients show up each day to receive their treatment in small doses handed through a small window.

Then they gather around a table to shoot up, part of a pioneering Swiss program to curb drug abuse by providing addicts a clean, safe place to take heroin produced by a government-approved laboratory.

The program has been criticized by the United States and the U.N. narcotics board, which said it would fuel drug abuse. But governments as far away as Australia are beginning or considering their own programs modeled on the system, which is credited with reducing crime and improving the health and daily lives of addicts.

Swiss voters are expected to make the system permanent Sunday in a referendum prompted by a challenge from conservatives.

The heroin program has won wide support within Switzerland since it was begun 14 years ago to eliminate scenes of large groups of drug users shooting up openly in parks that marred Swiss cities in the 1980s and 1990s.

Zullino’s office, part of the Geneva University Hospitals, is one of 23 such centers in Switzerland.

Patients among the nearly 1,300 addicts whom other therapies have failed to help take doses carefully measured to satisfy their cravings but not enough to cause a big high. Four at a time inject themselves as a nurse watches.

In a few minutes most get up and leave. Those who have jobs go back to work.

“Heroin prescription is not an end in itself,” said Zullino, adding that the 47 addicts who come to his office receive a series of additional treatments, such as therapy with a psychiatrist and counseling by social workers.

“The aim is that the patients learn how to function in society,” he said, adding that after two to three years in the program, one-third of the patients start abstinence-programs and one-third change to methadone treatment.

“Thanks to this policy we don’t have open drug scenes anymore,” said Andreas Kaesermann, a spokesman for the Social Democrat Party, part of the coalition government.

A mid-November survey of 1,209 voters by the respected gfs.bern institute indicate the program will be easily approved, with 63 percent of voters favoring it compared with 21 opposed. The poll had a margin of error of 2.9 percentage points.

Health insurance pays for the bulk of the program, which costs 26 million Swiss francs ($22 million) a year. All residents in Switzerland are required to have health insurance, with the government paying insurance premiums for those who cannot afford it.

“It’s wrong that the health insurance pays for this,” said Alain Hauert, spokesman for the right-wing Swiss People’s Party. He said the state should invest more money into prevention and law enforcement.

Crimes committed by heroin addicts have dropped 60% since the program began in 1994, according to the Federal Office of Public Health says.

And, Zullino said, patients reduce consumption of other narcotics once they start the heroin program and suffer less from psychiatric disorders.

But, he added, “the idea has never been to liberalize heroin. It’s considered a medicine and used as such.”

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9 Comments

smithinjapan at 09:14 AM JST - 29th November

I can see the benefits for such a program, but unfortunately since it is pioneer and there is no model to base it on (with proven results), it's also very easy to imagine the problems. I hope that tucked into this program, aside from providing addicts with a 'clean and safe' place to get the drugs, there is some sort of effort made to wean them off said drugs.
Nippon5 at 10:12 AM JST - 29th November

Instead of finding a way to fix the issue they are just putting a bandaid on it.. If they want to get them off the drugs then they have to keep them clean not keep them using.

I understand the reasons behind the "safe and clean place to get an injection" but I think one of the problems is your just paying for them to get a start to their high for the day. How many after they leave the clinic shoot up more to get the high. They can not get high for half the cost because of a free hit from the goverment. I would guess crimes dropped due to the fact they dont need as much money to get the same high now.
TooFarGone at 12:37 PM JST - 29th November

The heart of Europe, narcotized.

"Not a very good image to project to the world."
Everton2 at 03:11 PM JST - 29th November

This is the best approach civilized in its application and progressive in its understanding of the human condition. I am glad that they have not resorted to the archaic American approach of incarceration as a solution
GeorgeRoper at 03:18 PM JST - 29th November

Yuck, hreoin is bad, it kills people. Switzerland must have gone mental.

I nearly trod on a needle while doing my traffic warden duties the other day. If Switzerland does this there will be swarms of heroin nutters on the streets and needles that kids can find everywhere. I think it's disgusting.
Helter_Skelter at 04:36 PM JST - 29th November

Everton

I am glad that they have not resorted to the archaic American approach of incarceration as a solution

Fair enough. I'd certainly have no problem sending all the US heroin addicts to Switzerland. I'd even agree to use my tax dollars to pay for the flights.
smithinjapan at 12:31 AM JST - 30th November

Nippon5: "Instead of finding a way to fix the issue they are just putting a bandaid on it.. If they want to get them off the drugs then they have to keep them clean not keep them using."

You're right that they are simply putting a bandaid on the issue, but that's the only way to cover the wound and get it to start healing. I doubt very, very much that with heroin the majority of the addicts can go cold turkey and simply stop. I'm sure that the goal is to get them off the drugs, but it requires steps, and possibly baby-steps for some. While I don't support the habit at all, at least the people who can't kick the habit right away or quickly have a means of support (not the drugs, I mean the system, doctors, etc.) and safety while they hopefully make the transition to being clean.
TooFarGone at 01:18 AM JST - 30th November

Insanity. Most of Europe's heroin comes from Afghanistan. The EU's support of the Taliban is now official.
paolo27th at 11:23 PM JST - 1st December

TooFarGone, last I checked Switzerland wasn't in the EU.